Aidan Jordan, a U.S. Marine Corps boot camp graduate, stands in a truck bed loading a bag of donations atop red pickup labeled “Toys for Tots” at the facade of Walmart on Walton Avenue.

Seven vehicles, from the Warren County Regional Jail and the four law enforcement agencies that serve Bowling Green, span the sidewalk on either side of the pickup. Collecting toys at Walmart’s two entrances, this near-freezing Saturday morning, are more than three dozen volunteers – among them, representatives from U.S. Marines, the U.S. Navy, the Sheriff’s Office, the Bowling Green Police Department, Western Kentucky University Police, Kentucky State Troopers, the Bowling Green Fire Department and Med Center Health.

It was the 10-year anniversary of Toys for Tots’ biggest annual event, Hand It To A Hero, which last year collected some $5,900 and 800 toys for economically disadvantaged children locally, according to Janel Doyle, the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots Coordinator for southern Kentucky. Last year’s event, combined with other donations across southern Kentucky, collected nearly 100,000 toys for almost 20,000 children in 17 counties regionwide, Doyle said.

“Just getting to be able to help the kids and see their reaction is what makes it all worth it,” said Greenwood High School student Darby Meredith, a youth ambassador for Toys for Tots who’s been with the not-for-profit for six to seven years.

“I got to help distribute toys for the actual Christmas distribution, and some of the kids, they were happier than I’ve ever seen some family member’ kids at Christmas, which is saying a lot.”

The regional Toys for Tots serves 23 counties regionwide; in Warren County alone, it has donation boxes at 225 sites, Doyle said. It’ll accept toys until Dec. 18; then, the volunteers distribute them.

“It’s been a lot of hard work, I can tell you that, but it makes you feel good – it makes you feel really good,” said Malcolm Cherry, a veteran Marine and the commander of the local Post 23 of the American Legion.

Cherry helped start the local branch of Toys for Tots 22 years ago; back then, he said, some 20 marines served around 200 children. Since then, he said, it’s since grown to more than 600 annual volunteers.

Bowling Green residents Marilyn Clark and Darriel Clark were two of the many Saturday donors, contributing Squishmellow plushies.

“We’ve been blessed and have everything we need for our family and our grandkids, and we saw the special event that they had going on, and it was just an opportunity to give back,” Marilyn Clark said.